The coach of Roma, the Portuguese José Mourinho, assured this Thursday that he was the first and only option of the president of the Portuguese Football Federation to be the new coach, but he understood that he had to reject it, because he was happy in Italy. .
“I am going to say something that probably does not interest you, but I take this opportunity to thank the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, because what he told me makes me proud. The fact that he said that I was not his first choice, but his only choice. That makes me proud, but I decided not to go. I refused, because I’m right here”, revealed José Mourinho, after the victory of Roma (1-0), against Genoa, towards the quarterfinals of the Italian Cup.
The statements of the Portuguese coach end up not corresponding to what was said by the president of the FPF, Fernando Gomes, when he introduced the Spanish Roberto Martínez, in the Cidade do Futebol, in Oeiras.
“After defining the profile, we talked to a lot of people, but I can say that the only concrete proposal we made to be a coach was Roberto Martínez,” said Fernando Gomes, then, at a press conference on Monday.
The Spanish coach became official as the new national soccer coach, replacing Fernando Santos, having signed a contract valid until 2026.
Source: TSF
